Summary of May, 2024 Listening session

See My Art facilitated a Listening Session this spring to unpack the reasoning behind and viewpoints surrounding our pivot back to our original mission statement –

See My Art, Inc. (SMART) is a not-for-profit corporation that inspires, empowers, validates, and supports people with disabilities through participation in the arts –

from a previous statement which emphasized supporting “people of ALL abilities,” which became our focus during the Covid pandemic.  We had informed the public of our decision to return to the original wording using the term “disabilities” at our December 2023 Annual Meeting.  Carla, a concerned community member and SMARTist, questioned our decision and we tabled that discussion until we were able to devote the needed time and intention toward facilitating a meeting with our statement as the sole topic of conversation.

Carla’s main objection to using the term “disabilities” vs “ALL abilities” in our wording is that she doesn’t consider herself DISabled and that she focuses on her strengths.  She does understand the need for the term “disabilities,” although she would prefer something like “unique abilities” instead.  The group of SMART Board members present agreed that Carla DOES have many strengths AND unique abilities (sense of humor, care for her community and creative expertise related to crafting diamond willow walking sticks, to name but a few of Carla’s positive attributes.)  SMART Board member Shawna, a disabled veteran herself, explained that her personal mission is to change the way people view folks with disabilities by “being the change that you want people to see.”  Our lengthy and (at times) emotional discussion kept returning to the idea of providing SUPPORTS for people with disabilities, whether those supports be canes, walkers, therapeutic arts experiences, like working with stoneware clay for processing strong emotions, or hosting a special space, such as the See My Art Gallery at Rivers Eatery, for displaying and selling art created by folks who may be unable to exhibit in other venues due to their disabilities. Thus, we returned to our mission statement and our commitment to ongoing SUPPORT of people with disabilities through participation in the arts.

One interesting outcome of the meeting was discovery of the breadth of art mediums the attendees enjoy and explore:

• Board member Shawna enjoys working with clay and suggested using stoneware clay for temporary modeling as the grounding technique mentioned above
• Board President Sara paints and creates sculptures (which you’ve most likely seen around this area in public installations)
• Board member Anita weaves baskets with natural materials
• Community member Cecelia designs hand stitched quilts
• Board member Lisa fashions diamond painting bead creations
• SMARTist Carla sands and seals diamond willow walking sticks
• Board member Liz enjoys watercolor painting. 

The common theme among all the attendee artists present was the satisfaction regarding process and product married together during a state of creative flow, EXACTLY why SMART continues to promote art as a vehicle for healing, emotion regulation and self-expression.

See My Art thanks all Listening Session participants for their empathy and heart-felt contributions to such an important discussion.  We hope our SMARTists feel seen and supported by our efforts as declared in our mission statement and that our organization continues to unlock doors and open minds by educating the public about the health benefits of artistic expression.

Carla, a SMARTist and listening session participant